Summary
The new voice actor for Mario won’t be revealed until players see the credits ofSuper Mario Bros. Wonder. The legendaryCharles Martinet first provided the voice for Marioin 1994’sMario Teaches Typing, and he would go on to voice not only the titular hero of the Mushroom Kingdom but also his brother Luigi and the nefarious Wario and Waluigi in the manyMariogames since. However, it was revealed earlier this year that he would be stepping down from his most iconic voice-acting role in favor of a new position as an ambassador for theSuper Mario Bros.franchise.
Fans previously noticed that Mario sounded different duringJune’sSuper Mario Bros. Wonderreveal trailer- and sure enough, the next mainlineMariogame will introduce players to Charles Martinet’s successor. The idea of somebody else voicing Mario has generated a mixed response from players, with some stating that they will miss Martinet as the spunky, red-clad plumber and others excited to hear Mario’s new voice.Guardians of the Galaxystar Chris Pratt voiced Mario in this year’s animatedSuper Mario Bros. Movie, a decision that likewise had generated a fair deal of controversy before the film’s massively successful release.
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Now Nintendo has revealed that Mario’s new voice actor won’t be revealed until afterSuper Mario Bros. Wonderlaunches on the Nintendo Switch on October 20. In a recent interview with IGN, Nintendo of America’s president Doug Bowser stated that there will be no formal announcement for the new voice actor and that their name will first be revealed inWonder’s end credits.
Doug Bowser also reiterated that Charles Martinet will remain acentral part of theSuper Mariofranchisethrough his new role as an ambassador for the brand - even if Martinet himself recently stated that he isn’t entirely sure what this job entails. Previous statements from Nintendo have implied that Martinet will travel the world and interact with fans, though the exact details still aren’t clear as of this writing.
Super Mario Bros. Wonderwill be a bittersweet moment for longtimeMariofans, as whileWonder’s new power-ups and level-changing Wonder Seed mechanicslook promising, it will also be the firstSuper Mariogame since 1994 to not have Martinet’s iconic voice. Whoever steps into the role of the titular plumber mascot will have big shoes to fill for many players, and they won’t know for certain who will be providing Mario’s signature sound bites going forward untilSuper Mario Bros. Wonderis released next month.
Super Mario Bros. Wonderlaunches on October 20, exclusively for the Nintendo Switch.
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